Brooks Koepka Shares New Thoughts On Why He Thinks He 'Choked Away' The Masters
Brooks Koepka took a two-shot lead into the final round of the 2023 Masters. A two-shot lead coupled with a guy who already had four major championships to his name at that point, and the green jacket was certainly his to lose, which he ultimately did in a rather tough fashion with Jon Rahm securing a four-shot win over Phil Mickelson and Koepka.
Following his final round 75, Koepka kept it real as he always does, and admitted that he choked the tournament away.
"Yeah, I'd characterize that as a choke," Koepka said, while grinning. "It was pretty bad. I mean, come on you've got a four-shot lead, all you've got to do...I was playing good, I just choked it away. But it's alright, I'll figure it out."
While admitting you "choked" a tournament away isn't exactly the norm, it's also a blanket statement, but after a year-plus to reflect on what exactly went wrong, the now five-time major winner seems to have figured out why that Sunday at Augusta National didn't fall in his favor.
Brooks Koepka admitted he choked away the 2023 Masters, and now he's figured out what exactly went wrong. (Photo by Jason Butler/Getty Images)
"I handed Phil one on a silver platter, I really think in '19 I blew Augusta to Tiger and I gave one to Jon at Augusta," Koepka said during a recent video with new LIV Golf ambassador Rick Shiels.
"I mean I can say it now. You're the first person I said it to, I got so obsessed and focused on ... I wanted it so bad that that was the problem," he continued. "I couldn't take my own advice. It's easy to say it, right? But in the moment I want to win Augusta, I've always wanted to do this and you've got the opportunity and it's right there in front of you."
"All you've got to do is finish 18 more holes. I got so far ahead. And when you get so far ahead you lose what's going on and it just became a disaster and a snowball effect, and you're just going down and down."
Koepka also went on to say that he stayed up all night after losing the green jacket going through every shot from the final round.
After what was his second career T-2 finish in the Masters, he understandably had a bad taste in his mouth but got rid of it quickly as he went on to win the 2023 PGA Championship five weeks later.